News Release

May 2, 2013

OHIO’s Scripps College partnering with Astute Solutions on social media software

The Scripps College of Communication at Ohio University and Astute Solutions, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, have teamed up to provide professors and students in the college with innovative software for educational use.

Astute Solutions, as an industry partner, has provided a social media streaming product called SRM solution to two Scripps College instructors, Dr. Parul Jain and Dan Farkas, both of the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, for use in course instruction and student learning. The product is designed to assist in helping producers of social media messages assess the influence of those messages and adjust communication strategy accordingly.

Scripps College of Communication Dean Scott Titsworth said the partnership provides a key strategic resource for the college as it seeks to pair a liberal arts education with distinctive hands-on experiences with industry-leading technology.

“As a communication leader, it is our charge and our aim to help our students fully explore the digital and social media revolution and its impact on communication of all forms,” said Titsworth. “Astute has graciously provided a valuable resource to two of our faculty as a trial. It is our hope that this resource, combined with the development and training of our faculty and students, will lead to the creation of a Social Media Listening Center. This center will provide students the opportunity to be more thoughtful and strategic producers of social media and to better understand the role of social media in driving public dialogue about key issues.”

Astute Solutions has provided training and access to its SRM product to Jain and Farkas and has allowed them to set up and monitor search streams for academic purposes.

“We’re thrilled to support one of world’s premier schools in professional communication,” said Gary Ross, president of Astute Solutions. “We believe our relationship with Ohio University will better prepare students for the many applications of social media in the business world, both today and tomorrow.”

An agreement between the two entities was signed March 26 and will extend for a period of six months, with the goal to establish a longer term relationship that will further student learning.

For more information on Astute Solutions, visit www.astutesolutions.com.

For more information on the Scripps College of Communication, visit www.ohio.edu/scrippscollege.